Did you see that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, has started a Book Club?
He announced earlier this month “my challenge for 2015 is to read a new book every other week — with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies.”
His first selection is “The End of Power,” by Moises Naim. It’s an obscure title, not on any best-seller list. I appreciate that Zuckerberg is using his prestige as one of this generation’s greatest innovators to shine a bright light on the importance of reading; a habit practiced by not enough entrepreneurs.
So, in the spirit of Zuckerberg’s challenge to read more titles this year, I will share with you a book I recently discovered that is way, way off the beaten path, “Leadership in the Crucible of Work,” by Sandy Shugart.
He is the president of Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. Valencia College is typically ranked as one of the top community colleges in the country and was the inaugural winner of the Aspen Prize for Excellence.
Last summer, I attended a community college leadership conference where President Shugart was a featured speaker. He was a very engaging presenter and he shared that he’d just published a book on the topics he was discussing with the conference participants. At the time, he was still trying to get it listed on Amazon, but it was available through a small publishing house in Florida.
Because his workshop was so good, I decided to purchase his book. I am so glad that I found this gem.
So why do I recommend this book as your first selection for 2015?
First, I think it helpful to share what Shugart’s book is not.
His book is not like any other you have read on leadership.
It is not a step-by-step guide. It doesn’t have a list of the top 10 things to do and you’ll become a better leader.
In fact, as Shugart warns in the first few pages, “I can’t offer you a template for your growth and success at work….what I can offer you is this invitation to enter the conversation concerning how we form and are formed by our work.”
His book is not filled with answers, but rather a series of questions to ponder and contemplate.
Although written by a community college president, it is not a book aimed at higher education leaders.
Shugart’s book IS a collection of paired essays on both sides “of the formative experiences of work.” The book is for leaders of any organization large or small, for-profit, not-for-profit or government agency.
My team at the Everett Community College has been reading and discussing this book the past couple of months. We have found Shugart’s work helpful for sparking engaged conversations on important leadership questions and issues. I found the chapter titled Despair Hope the most impactful.
I believe you’ll find the same benefit with your organization.
Shugart sums up the mission of his writings the best: “If the essays stir up your conversation with yourself and with others, if they trouble you a bit, if they manage to raise questions you cannot easily dismiss, I will consider my purpose fulfilled.”
Pat Sisneros is the Vice President of College Services at Everett Community College. Please send your comments to psisneros@everettcc.edu
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